Magic Card Era: Infinite Deck Enhancement — Chapter 140

Chapter 140: Is the Old Lady Lonely?

“Normally, you wouldn’t come knocking on my door. Tell me, what brings you to see this old man today?” Wen Xiuyuan cast his fishing rod with a vigorous flick of his wrist. The line sliced through the air, landing in the tranquil water with a soft plop. Moments later, the surface rippled, and he reeled in a plump, thrashing fish. “A good start. Not bad at all.”

Meng Ningdie gathered her thoughts, her expression turning serious as she stated her purpose. “I came to see you this time regarding a new student, Headmaster. He is the top scorer of this year’s Eastern Region College Entrance Examination.”

“A new student?” A hint of genuine surprise flickered across Wen Xiuyuan’s weathered face. He certainly hadn’t expected her to seek him out over something so mundane. “If my memory serves me right, the top scorer of this year’s exam is a young man. Tell me, Little Meng, could this boy be your little lover?”

A teasing glint danced in Wen Xiuyuan’s eyes, a stark contrast to the impatience usually shown by Fei Ruonan and the others. Tianfu Academy stood proudly as one of the Ancient Kingdom’s Four Great Academies; they never suffered a shortage of exceptional freshmen. Therefore, his surprise stemmed entirely from the fact that Meng Ningdie was personally intervening for this year’s top scorer, not the boy’s academic achievements.

“Headmaster!” Meng Ningdie felt a sharp headache throbbing at her temples from the older man’s teasing. Left with no other choice, she played her trump card. “Luke and I do not share that kind of relationship. He is, in fact… my junior brother.”

“Your junior brother? Well, no wonder you came to see me in person.” Wen Xiuyuan nodded slowly, stroking his chin. But a split second later, the implications hit him. His grip tightened, and his fishing rod jerked violently, sending violent ripples across the pond and startling the fish in every direction.

He paid absolutely no mind to the fleeing catch. Instead, his sharp gaze locked entirely onto the young woman standing before him. “Little Meng… did you just say this Luke is your junior brother?”

Senior sister and junior brother—these were incredibly common titles within the academy walls. Yet, when applied to Meng Ningdie, those simple words carried an devastating weight. Her teacher was the sole Domain Lord of the Eastern Region, the Night Queen. She was a terrifying Undying Realm powerhouse, an existence that stood far above the Immortal Realm.

This meant that Luke, the boy Meng Ningdie had just claimed as her junior brother, was also a direct disciple of the Night Queen!

Damn it! The Night Queen actually took in another disciple in such a short span of time? A faint tremor ran through Wen Xiuyuan’s entire body as the realization set in.

He still vividly remembered the absolute uproar that had swept through the region when Meng Ningdie was first accepted as the Night Queen’s student. He never would have imagined that someone else would claim that coveted position so soon. More crucially, if Meng Ningdie hadn’t taken the initiative to visit him today, he would have been kept completely in the dark about this monumental shift in power.

Is the old lady getting lonely up there? Wen Xiuyuan desperately wanted to voice the question aloud, but his survival instincts firmly clamped his mouth shut. He knew with absolute certainty that if those words left his lips, he would be beaten into a bloody pulp before the sun set.

“It seems that because of the incident with you back then, the Night Queen is keeping a very tight lid on things this time around.” Thanks to his decades of cultivated restraint, Wen Xiuyuan managed to swallow his initial shock and force his racing heart to calm down. “No wonder you took the initiative to seek me out, girl.”

The Night Queen’s decision to take Meng Ningdie as a disciple had caused a massive sensation throughout the entire Eastern Region, rippling all the way through the Ancient Kingdom. It had been the hottest topic of conversation for months, but that fame had a dark side—it had drawn countless covetous and malicious eyes toward Meng Ningdie. The lethal threat of a Domain Lord was unquestionable, but this world never lacked for absolute madmen who possessed no fear of death.

It was precisely because of those harrowing past experiences that the Night Queen had kept her acceptance of Luke so incredibly low-key. She feared no one, but she refused to expose her newest student to unnecessary, life-threatening danger before he could defend himself.

In the span of a few fleeting thoughts, Wen Xiuyuan had already pieced together a complete understanding of the situation.

“Yes, Headmaster.” Meng Ningdie nodded, her expression softening slightly. “Teacher has officially accepted Luke as her student. My return this time is actually to make the necessary arrangements for his quiet entry into the academy.”

It really is exactly as I thought! Even though he had already deduced the truth, hearing Meng Ningdie confirm it sent a fresh surge of adrenaline pumping through Wen Xiuyuan’s veins.

“I never would have imagined that the Night Queen would take another disciple so soon. If you hadn’t delivered this news personally, this old man would have dismissed it as a wild rumor.” He let out a long, heavy sigh and shook his head in lingering disbelief.

To catch the eye of the Night Queen, a person had to be lightyears beyond mediocre. The young woman standing before him was living proof of that standard.

“Since he is the Night Queen’s student, his innate talent and raw strength must not be much worse than yours were back then, Little Meng,” Wen Xiuyuan remarked, his curiosity regarding this boy named Luke finally piqued.

“Lord of Tianfu, the two of us simply cannot be compared.” Meng Ningdie shook her head, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “You have no idea how much pressure I am under right now.”

“Even if his talent rivals yours, bridging the gap in cultivation is no easy feat.” A flash of surprise crossed Wen Xiuyuan’s weathered face. “Little Meng, there is no need for you to be so modest. You have already reached the absolute peak of the Emperor Realm, standing just one step below the Sovereign Realm. That is a towering achievement that most Magic Card Masters could never hope to attain in their entire lifetimes.”

I truly wish I was just being modest, but I’m afraid I don’t have that luxury this time.

Recalling Luke’s terrifying performance during the college entrance examination, Meng Ningdie felt an immense, suffocating weight pressing down on her shoulders as his senior sister. An Original Magic Card, a Special Magic Card, the legendary status of a Millennial Powerhouse—any single one of those factors was enough to leave her in the dust. Her previous words hadn’t contained a single ounce of false modesty.

However, she also knew she couldn’t fault Wen Xiuyuan for his ignorance. Although he was the esteemed Lord of Tianfu Academy, he possessed no authority to view the classified footage of the college entrance examination. In matters of absolute state security, the Ancient Kingdom treated everyone with the same strict impartiality.

“Lord of Tianfu, I promise you, I am not being modest.” Meng Ningdie forced a strained smile. “Luke… is an Original Magic Card Creator.”

Whether it was possessing a Special Magic Card or commanding a Magic Card Spirit capable of continuously evolving and shattering level restrictions, there was one absolute, unavoidable prerequisite: Luke had to be an Original Magic Card Creator! That was the bedrock upon which his entire terrifying foundation was built!

The Night Queen had explicitly granted Meng Ningdie permission to disclose this highly classified information to the Headmaster. Only with the full truth would Wen Xiuyuan grasp the sheer gravity of the situation.

And just as her teacher had predicted, Wen Xiuyuan’s reaction was explosive.

“An Original Magic Card Creator?!” Wen Xiuyuan, who had been the picture of tranquil calm just moments prior, suddenly shot to his feet.

The pieces violently clicked into place. He finally understood why Meng Ningdie had spoken with such heavy pressure, and the Night Queen’s extreme secrecy suddenly made perfect, terrifying sense! An Original Magic Card! The living legend of a Millennial Powerhouse!

As an Immortal Realm expert and one of the supreme Lords of the Four Great Academies, Wen Xiuyuan’s combat strength might only be on par with the likes of Cang Ao and Shangguan Hong. But when it came to ancient lore and academic knowledge, his understanding vastly eclipsed theirs!

When Meng Ningdie was first taken in by the Night Queen, it had merely attracted the jealous and covetous gazes of various factions. But if the world discovered that Luke was highly likely to be the Millennial Powerhouse of this era? It wouldn’t just be jealousy. It would invite an apocalyptic, murderous disaster upon the boy!

It was easy to play the thief for a thousand days, but it was practically impossible to guard against one for that long! The Night Queen was unimaginably strong, and the Eastern Region was her undisputed territory, but she couldn’t possibly dedicate every waking second to hovering over Luke. If she did, the administrative and defensive operations of the entire Eastern Region would grind to a paralyzing halt.

“So this is why you came knocking on this old man’s door. I believe I fully understand the Night Queen’s true intentions now.” Wen Xiuyuan rubbed his temples, feeling a massive headache of his own beginning to form. “She has certainly handed me quite the challenge.”

Since the Night Queen could not personally shadow the boy, and Luke was slated to spend his formative years studying within the walls of Tianfu Academy, any shadows that crept toward him would naturally fall under Wen Xiuyuan’s jurisdiction. Using the academy as a fortress was, without a doubt, the safest possible approach.